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DRAFT Y 0KE. APPLICATION FILED AUG-7 HUT.

PatentedJune 10, 1919.

Jul w nannr c. nnnoor, or cnr'caeo, rumors AssIc-non ro'rnn ncoon'war a ronnnr COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIAJ DRAFT-YOKE. V

rece es.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June llll, rein.

Application filed August 7, 1917. Serial l lo. te l-34H.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, HARRY C. Borrow, a citizen of the United "States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Yokes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make 'and use the same.

My invention relates to draft rigging for railway cars and especially the construction of the draft yoke elementthereof. The object of the invention is to provide a simple, strong and durable yoke which is provided with efficient means for reliably Securing a car coupler thereto in a manner permitting the parts to be readily attached and disconnected, and preferably in such a way that the coupler may be capable of swinging laterally when the car to wh1ch it is attached is passing around a curve. Generally stated, this object is accomplished by providing the forward end of the draft yoke with a hollow head or socket havmg a plurality of shoulders adapted to engage correspending shoulders on a cooperating coupler butt, the shoulders on the coupler butt being preferably in the form of oppositely extending pintles or trunnions, and one of the cooperating shoulders of the yoke being removable from in front of the'adjacent shoul-- 'der on the coupler butt to thereby permit the coupler to be detached from the yoke, said removable shoulder preferably being movable toward the other socket shoulder under the influence of gravity and preferably being maintained by gravity in mterlocked or overlapping relation with a shoulder of the coupler butt.

ln thedrawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of. the invention the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims,

' Figure l is a plan View of a draft rigging embod ing the invention, the forward portion of the car coupler being omitted.

Fig. 2 is a view of the construction shown in Fig. 1, showing the draft yoke in front elevation and the car coupler in transverse section.

Fig. 3 is a view, partlyin elevation and partly in vertical longitudinal section, of

the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

pler, and 2 is the yoke of a draft rigging.

The draft yoke is shown as of a form suitable for draft rigging of the so-called tandem type, having two compartments 3, 3, each of which is adapted to receive the well known arrangement of springs and followers; but it is to be understood that, except for features specified in the claims, the yoke may be of any desiredconstruction.

4 The rear end or butt of the car coupler l is shouldered, beingpreferab-ly provided on its upper and lower sides with oppositely extending pintles or pivot lugs 4 of cylindrical form. v

The forward end of the draft rigging. 2 is fashioned with a hollow head, hood or socket 5 adapted to receive the coupler butt. The socket is preferably formed with side walls 6 and top and bottom walls "2' and 8 respectively, there preferably bein also a transversely extending wall 9 which connects the top, bottom and side walls and is adapted to engage the forward follower (not shown) of the spring unit or cushioning device mounted in the forward compartment 3.

of the draft yoke. As the construction here shown is one wherein the coupler is designed Y to be pivotally connected to the draft yoke 2 so as to swing laterally, the side walls 6- of the hollow head- 5 diverge forwardly so as to give the coupler receiving socket an outwardly flaring form that will accommodate the swinging of the coupler.

The socket of the draft yoke which re ceives the butt of the car coupler is provided with a plurality of shoulders adapted to en gage corresponding shoulders on thecoupler butt to thereby connect the coupler 1 to the yoke 2. These socket shoulders are relatively movable to permit the coupler to be readily connected to or disconnected from the yoke. One of the socket shoulders 10 is preferably formed on the lower part of the hollow head 5 in such position'that it is adapted to extend in front of and engage the forward face of the corresponding shoulder or pivot, lug 4 on the lower side of the coupler butt. By this construction the weight of the coupler itself tends to prevent disengagement of the socket shoulder and the corresponding pivot lug 4. The rear face of the shoulder 10 may be curved to correspond to and form a bearing for the adj acent pivot lug or trunnion 4. The socket shoulder 11 is preferably movable toward the socket shoulder 10 under the influence of gravity, and is maintained by gravity'in interlooked or overlapping relation with the shoulder or pivot lu 4 on the upper side of the coupler 1. To t is end the shoulder 11, which'may be curved to form a bearing for the adjacent pivot lug 4:, is preferably formed on. a vertically slidable member 12 which is mounted on the head 5 of the draft yoke so as to be upwardly movable through an aperture 13 in the upper wall 7 of said head. The member 12, which is preferable wider .at its front than at its rear, normally ex-.

tends behind laterally spaced stops .or lugs linear the'upper side of the socket end of the draft yoke, thus preventing the upper pivot lug l of the coupler butt from passing between the said lugs 14.

Asshown in Fig. 3, the interior height of the hollow head '5 of the draft yoke is greater. than the maximum height of the 'coupler' butt. .In order to increase the strength of the member 12, as well as to as sist in preventing upward movement of the coupler butt in the socket of the draft. yoke,

- the member 12 is preferably provided with a rearwardly extending portion 15 which ,engagingly overlies the pivot member 4 formed on the upper surface of the coupler butt. If desired, positive means may be provided for preventing any accidental movement of the member 12 with respect to the companion socket shoulder 10 when the device is in service, a cotter 16 which passes 'The member 12 is then brought to normal osition so that its shoulder 11 stands in ont of the forward face of the upper pivot lug 4, The cotter 16, when such is employed,

ma then be passed through the lugs 17 While the invention has been explained by reference to certain specific features of construction especially designed for pivotally,

connecting the coupler stem to the draft 'yoke, rather than for pivotally connecting which the car coupler and draft yoke are not pivotally connected.

I claim:

1. A draft yoke having at its forward end a shouldered socket adapted to receive the shouldered butt of a car coupler, said socket shoulders being separable to allow the shouldered coupler butt to pass between them and being adapted to engage corresponding shoulders on said coupler butt to thereby connect the coupler and yoke in operative relation, one of said socket shoulders being movable toward the other under the influence of gravity and being maintained bygravity in overlapping relation with a shoulder of the coupler vbutt.

2. A draft yoke provided at its forward end with top, bottom andside walls forming a hollow head adapted to receive the shouldered butt of a car coupler, said head having on its lower side an interior shoulder adapted to extend in front of and engage the forward face of a cooperating shoulder on the coupler butt, said head also having vertically movable means mounted thereon above the coupler butt for normally preventing forward movement of the coupler butt within said hollow head, and said head having a shoulder adapted to extend in front of and engage said vertically movable means.

3. A draft yoke having at its forward end a' hollow head adapted to receive and interlockingly engage the shouldered butt of a car coupler, said coupler butt being upwardly movable within said head to disengage a shoulder of said coupler from a corresponding shoulder on the yoke, said yoke being provided with upwardly movable means interlockingly engaging a forwardly facing shoulder on the upper side of the coupler head and extending over said coupler for normally preventing upward movement" of the coupler butt with respect to the yoke, and said coupler butt being adapted to be inserted in and withdrawn from said hollow head of the yoke by moveuients in the direction of length of the cou- 4. A draft yoke providedat'its forward end with a head having an outwardly flaring socket adapted to receive the butt of a car coupler provided with a plurality of curved pivot lugs, said head being open at the forward end to permit introduction and withdrawal of said butt and pivot lugs and having a curved interior shoulder adapted to form a pivotal bearing for one of said pivot lugs, and said head also having mounted thereon above said coupler a vertically movable member having a curved face adapted to form a pivotal bearing'for the other pivot lug of the car coupler.

5. The combination with a draft yoke, of a car coupler pivotally connected thereto, said coupler having'a butt provided With oppositely extending pivot members, said yoke having an outwardly flaring socket adapted to receive the coupler butt and having curved bearing faces engaging the forward faces of said pivot members, one of said bearing faces being formed on a vertically slidable member which is maintained in assembled relation by gravity.

6. Ina draft rigging, the combination of a yoke and a coupler detachably connected thereto, one of said draft members having a socket provided with vertically cylindrically curved shoulders adapted to engage corresponding shoulders on the ad jacent draft member, one of said socket shoulders being movable toward the other under the influence of gravity.

7. In a draft rigging, the combination of a yoke and a coupler detachably connected thereto, one of said draft members being provided With vertically extending cylindrically curved pivot lugs',-and the adjacent draft member having cylindrically curved shoulders adapted to engage the said corresponding pivot lugs, said curved shoulders being relatively movable Vertically and normally tending to approach each other under the influence of gravity.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

HARRY C. BUHOUP.

extending 

